Odisha Govt Intensifies Fight against COVID-19

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has further intensified its fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) and has entrusted senior officers with various specific responsibilities to better manage the pandemic situation.

The State Government has been taking various proactive measures to handle the evolving and extra ordinary crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic since the onset of the problem.

The entire government machinery at every level is focused in handling the challenge in the best possible manner.

The following Senior Officers have already been entrusted with various specific responsibilities as indicated in the table below:

In addition to this, to manage the welfare arrangement of the persons from
Odisha stranded in other States, healthcare helpline and registration of foreign
returnees, call centres were established and the following officers were placed for
its effective supervision:
1. Amitabh Thakur, IPS
2. Sanjeev Panda, IPS
3. Sarthak Sarangi, IPS
4. G Reghu, IFS
5. Divakara T S, IAS
6. Ashish Patil, IAS

To co-ordinate with different states where persons from Odisha have been
stranded, the following officers have been engaged:

1. Y Vijaya, IAS – Telangana
2. B Parameswaran, IAS – Andhra Pradesh
3. Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma, IAS – West Bengal
4. Nitin Jawale, IAS – Gujarat
5. Rajesh P. Patil, IAS – Maharashtra
6. Chithra Arumugam, IAS – Tamil Nadu
7. Md. Sadique Alam, IAS – Bihar & Jharkhand
8. M. Muthukumar, IAS – Kerala
9. Sanjeeb Mishra, IAS – New Delhi NCR
10. Amitabh Thakur, IPS – All other states

As the situation world-wide as well as in the country is unfolding, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been taking stock of the situation on day-to-day basis and has directed the appointment of Senior IAS officers as COVID-19 observers to various districts.

As the State anticipates return of people of Odisha living elsewhere to the State, to review the preparedness at the district level and to coordinate various other Covid-19 related activities, the appointment of COVID-19 observers is considered necessary.

The Covid-19 Observers are appointed as follows:

The State Government has posted Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra as ACS, Health and Family Welfare. He will be in additional charge of Revenue and Disaster Management Department. Nikunj Kumar Dhal, will continue to be the Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Department.